Improvement in disti lling alcohol



J. T. HEARD.

Alcohol Still.

Patented Sept. 1843. 7

ivy

UNITE STATES hATENT tries.

JOHN T. HEARD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN DISTILLING ALCOHOL. Y

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3,256, dated September9, 1843.

T0 aZZ 1072,0111, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN T. HEARD, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and ImprovedApparatus for the Distillation of Alcohol and Various other Liquids; andI do hereby declare that the following description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, constitutes a full and exactspecification thereof.

Figure 1 of the drawings above mentioned is atop view of my improvedapparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 representsavertical and longitudinal section of the several parts.

In this latter figure several of the distillingvessels are in sections,although strictly speaking, a vertical plane passing through the centralpart of themain boiling-vessel or cucurbit would not cut through all thesaid vessels.

A, Figs. 1, 2, 3, denotes the alembic. or vessel which is charged withtheliquor from which the alcohol is to be separated. This vessel isplaced over a proper furnace, by which its contents are heated or boiledduring the process of dis tillation. The alembic A has a capital orstillhead, B, erected upon it in the ordinary manner, from the top ofwhich aconical pipe, 0, ascends vertically a short distance, and thendcscends in the inclined manner seen in drawings, and enters into andthrough the top of a second cylindrical and close vessel, D, which iselevated above the alembicA, or stands about on a level with thestill-head. The pipe 0 enters the interior of the vessel D and continuesdown nearly to the bottom of thesame. and at its termination it isleftopen, as seen in Fig. 3. Thereceiver D is likewise connected by apipe,E, to another and similar vessel, F, elevated above it, or whose bottomis about on alevel with the top of the vessel D, the pipe E being likethe pipe 0 and extending from the top of the vessel D, through that ofthe vessel F, and terminating just above bottom of the latter. One moreclose vessel or receiver, G, is raised above the vessel F, or so placedwith regard to the same that its bottom shall be about on a level withthe top of that last named. The receivers F G are connected by avertical and inclined pipe, I, inverted and opening into the top of theformer, and extending through that of the latter, and terminating nearits bottom.

tremity, the'latter of which is connected or joined to an ordinarydistillers worm or refrigeratory apparatus, generally used forcondensing vaporized spirits. Apipe, 0, extends from a convenient partof the lower side of what may be termed the end of the first coil of thetube L to and through the top of the first receiver, D, and terminatesnear the bottom thereof. The lower side of what may be considered as theend of the second coil of the pipe L is connected with the secondreceiver, F, by a pipe, P, extending nearly to the bottom of thereceiver, and the lower part of the third or last coil of the pipe L, ator near the extremity thereof, has a pipe, Q, extending from it to thelower part of the third receiver, G. Each of the pipes O P Q should havea stopcock, It, inserted in some convenient part of it, and each of thereceivers D F G should be connected to the top one that precedes it bymeans of two pipes, S T, or U V, or \V X, one of which extends from or.near the bottom of each receiver, while the other projects from thereceiver at some distance above the first, as seen in the drawings, thesaid pipes having suitable stop-cocks adapted to each, to cut off oropen the communication between the receivers at pleasure. The peculiarobject of the lower pipes, S U W, is to enable me at any time todischarge the contents of one of the receivers into the one next belowit, or all of them into thecucurbit; while the object of the upperpipes, TVX, is to prevent the receivers becoming too full of thecondensed spirits. The intention of the back pipes, O P Q, is to carryback or return into their respective receivers the condensed vaporsproduced in their respective coils of the pipe of the water-bath. Theheavier and more watery vapors will condense in theupper coil and passdown through the pipe 0 into the receiverD; those of greater alcoholicstrength will be condensed in the second coil, and will run down throughthe pipe P into the second receiver, and those of increased strengthwill condensed and discharged into a suitable retain degree of strength,will be condensed in highest receiver containing the strongestspirspirit of the remains let down into the still to pass from the lowercoil through the pipe Q l and into the third receiver; such as may be ofthe required degree of strength, or those approaching the nearest topure alcohol ,will pass out of the coiled pipe and into the worm orrefrigeratory apparatus, where they will be ceptacle in the ordinarymanner.

The alembic or still being charged with the fermented liquor or washfrom which we desire to separate the alcohol and the fire lighted underthe still, it will be evident that the spirituous vapors will ascendfrom the cucurbit, and pass from thence into the first receiver, D. Theweakest vapors, or those the least charged with alcohol, or those of acerthe first receiver, while those of a stronger character will pass outof the first receiver and thence into the second,where a portion thereofwill be condensed, and the remainder will pass over into the thirdreceiver, in which latter a part will be condensed, while the remainderenters the coiled pipe of the waterbath. 1 r

From the above it will be perceived that alcohol of different degrees ofstrength, or of lower proof than that which is discharged from the worm,is collected in the receivers, the

it, while the lower contains the weakest, or that which is next instrength to the charge of the cucurbit. Thus, instead of suffering thealcoholic vapors in strength below them condensed in the worm to beconducted directly back into the still and then be mixed again with thewater and wash therein, from which they must be separated again by heat,as in the ordinary processes of distillation of alcohol, they areretained in the receivers above the cucurbit, while the water andresiduum remain in the still. The water so separated may be drawn out ofthe still and the condensed supply its place, where they are heated andstill further divested of water by passing through the several receiversand worm, until they are converted into alcohol of the required degreeof strength. The hot vapors which arise and pass through the receiversconvey heat to the condensed vapors therein, which thereby become moreor less reconverted into an aeriform state and pass off through thecoiled pipe, and thus the distilling operation is carried on through allthe vessels at the same time. By thus retaining the condensed vapors invessels elevated above the still and one another, as set forth, not onlyis a very great saving of fuel effected in the course of distillation,but a saving of time also in the process of separating the alcohol fromthe wash. Besides the above advantage, another and very material one isthe prevention, to a great extent, of impregnation of the alcohol withthe essential oils and other matters of the wash or liquor in thealembic, to which the ordinary distilling process is so liable.

The practical manner of operating the apparatus will be understood bythe following instructions: The still being filled with proof spirit orfermented wash, excepting a sufficient space for boiling-room, and allthe necessary and usual precaution being taken, the fire is to belighted. Before the vapor rises from the still, or at the time the fireis kindled, the cooks to the back pipes leading to the first and secondreceivers should be open. The cocks of the pipes S U and the cock of thepipe T should also be open. The cock to the back pipe leading to thethird receiver should be.

kept closed at this stage of the operation, as at the commencement ofit. Alcohol can be produced without using more than two of thereceivers. As the Vapors ascend from the still they pass through thecapital or stillhead, and by its vertical and angular pipe into thefirst receiver. Ascending from the mouth of the angular pipe, they passin a simi-' lar manner into the next receiver, and so on, until theyreach the coiled pipes of the water bath. The cocks being adj usted asabove mentioned, all the vapors that condense in the first two turns ofthe inclined pipes in the water bath will find their way into the firstreceiver, as those that are carried from the second turn of the pipesdescend from the second receiver to the first through the lowerconnecting-eock.

When the liquor in the first receiver has attained the level of theoutlet-pipe T, which is ascertained by a tell-tale cock inserted in theside of the receiver, the cock of the lower pipe between the first andsecond receivers shouldbe closed. The condensed vapors of the first turnof the pipe of the water bath will thus be conveyed to the firstreceiver, and those of the second coil to the second receiver. Whenthose in the second receiver have attained the level of the outlet orupper pipe connecting the first and second receivers, they will flowdown into the first receiver. 1f the still is charged with proof-spirit,two-thirds of the whole product may be worked off at a proof ofeighty-two to eighty-five per cent. by means of the first two receiversonly, after which the proof of the alcohol will generally decline toeighty per cent. and under, when it becomes necessary to use the thirdreceiver, which may be done by opening the cock of its back pipe andclosing that of its lower connecting-tube. The receiver will then fillup to the outlet of its upper connecting-tube.

I do not claim the combination of several receivers with an alembic; but

That which I do claim consists iii- 1. My peculiar manner of arrangingthe re ceivers with respect to the alembic and each otherthat is to say,in placing the said receivers at different altitudes in regard to eachotherin combination with the particular manner of connecting them withthe alembic and with each other, the whole being substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose of retaining the condensed spirituous oralcoholic ers, arranged as described, of a coiled pipe and water bath orcondensing apparatus having its coils connected with the differentreceivers, as set forth.

3. The peculiar arrangement of the several pipes which connect the saidcondensing apparatus and receivers-via, connecting the 10wer part of theend of the first coil of the of the second coil with the second ormiddle receiver, and that of the last coil with the upper receiverthewhole being constructed and operating substantially in the manner andfor the purposes as hereinabove specified.

In testimony that the above is a correct specification of my saidinvention I have hereto set my signature this 24th day of August, of theyear 1843. a

- JOHN T. HEARD.

v Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY,

pipe with the first or lower receiver, and that CHAUNOY PEOK.

